The present invention relates to an improvement to the feed devices of snow guns in plants providing artificial snow for ski runs, such as those described, for example, the U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,706,614; 3,372,872 or 2,676,471.
The production of artificial snow for ski runs is performed in a known manner by spraying, in the chosen location, a mixture of air and water in the form of a mist, into the low-temperature ambient air by means of a snow gun and, in the case of a plant according to the present invention, by means of snow guns such as those described in the Pat. No. EP 80400504.9 on behalf of the Applicant.
In the existing artificial snow-making plants, the pressurized air and water are distributed via pipes situated along the runs which are to be covered with snow. The connections to the snow guns are made by means of shelters arranged along these pipes and at intervals of approximately thirty to fifty meters.
As a result of the development of new methods, it has been possible to envisage developments in the operation of snow-making plants for ski runs; the document EP-A-0,004,803 outlines the possibilities for these developments and, in fact, new means have been implemented in that field.
Selection of the runs and start-up of the plant are performed by a central computer which takes into account the temperature at various points along the run. The only prior manual operation arises in connection with selection of the guns which will be used in order to replenish a certain section of the run which is particularly worn for example; this manual operation consists in opening the valves for the air and for the water inside each selected shelter, before commencing start-up of the plant.
In view of the significant and foreseeable variations in the temperature along the runs, it often happens that the temperature conditions of the chosen zone prevent the plant from being started up and the plant remains inoperative whereas it could have been functioning normally in an adjacent zone or on another run.
The present invention aims to overcome the drawbacks of existing plants.